[F11 - OP] Christmas Chaos (aka Come Eat All Of Koga's Food)

[Jevi 0]

She scoffed as she looked at the small, floating box that contained a message from some unknown sender in front of her face, an array of artificial stars splattered across the ceiling of the fifth floor. "Tch.. sending a party invite to every player in Aincrad just seems like a desperate attempt to make friends.." Swiping her hand through the air in front of her, Jevi shooed away the message, letting her arm follow through and plop onto the rounded surface of her shop located out in the desert. Her shoulder length, brunette hair sprawled out around her head as she looked up at blank sky, the cold wind of the desert sending a chill through her body.

"Why not just invite your friends.. and do something more meaningful."  Her unheard words to the sender of that invite held more weight than it seemed. Jevi constantly cut herself off from those she knew, especially after her guild suddenly disbanded after the lot went their separate ways. So even if she wanted to have a get together with her friends.. she couldn't. There really weren't any left she could count on.

... After thinking for a moment in silence, Jevi sat up and let herself slide off the roof. Her boots hit the sand as she opened the message again with a sigh to figure out exactly where she was going. 

---

Dressed in her casual attire, but still fit to fight the cold, Jevi carried herself through the streets of Taft. Her fingers clenched and unclenched within her pockets as she eyes the town houses, looking for the correct address. Hanging from her wrists, two bags with various glass bottles that gently tapped against each other with each step. Finally, the woman found herself standing just outside the house of Koga, the mysterious sender who invited everyone to this party. It wasn't the biggest of houses... so how could he have expected to host every living player in Aincrad if they chose to show up. 

"This is stupid.. why did I come here." she said as she turned away from the door. "I doubt I even know anyone in there." The bottles all clinked together as she took a few steps back out into the center of the street. Looking down at the various sodas, she lets out a small groan. "I don't even drink this shit that much.. so it'll just go to waste."  She turns and looks to the door again, "Come on Alex you can do this.." she whispers to herself before proceeding to head to the door. She gently opens it, and sees that it is, in fact, quite a packed house.. just not 'every player' packed. Oh no.. she didn't recognize anyone here. As a few party goers shifted, she spotted the familiar tuft of ginger hair that was Jomei. So her old guild leader was here, at least she could fall back on that if she started to feel anxious or out of place. "I don't even know which one is Koga..." she says to herself, not sure who to greet as the host of this party. Eventually he'd probably make his way around, so Jevi would find the first table that was open and begin unpacking the two six packs of soda she had brought.

Jevi's Outfit:

Spoiler

 

[Oji 0]

Oji nodded his head as Jomei asked him about his name. "Yeah, there's a reason I went with Oji, but that reason fell through luckily, but now I'm stuck with this name till we get out of here" He chuckled. He had finished about half of his drink, and he looked at Jomei's to see the same. "Here, let me get a scoop of punch." He offered, going over and taking a full ladle of punch, and used a tad in his, and came over to offer Jomei a top off as well.

"Very true my friend, and this is a great way to do so." He spoke, a warm smile on his face, enjoying the atmosphere. The holidays were usually lonely, but this was a nice change of pace for the older gentlemen. He took a sip of his drink, and realized it was a tad weak and pulled out the sake again and added a fair amount. After another taste test, he was happy with it and offered the sake to Jomei once again.

"Anyone here at this party you know? Or did you come here a stranger as well?" 

Oji thought for a few moments, and shook his head. "Not very deeply no. I've seen Koga a few times but no one else here is familiar. I've just recently started to work outside of the Town of Beginnings, so I thought this would be a nice way to connect with some other players yknow? But an old man like me isn't made for fighting" he jested to himself, laughing and taking a swig of the drink. "But, this has been nice thus far, and your not bad company Mr. Jomei." for some reason, Oji felt that the name was familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

@Jomei

[Koga 0]

Koga looked around the room, a little overwhelmed with how many people had shown up. He had figured that not the whole of Aincrad would show up to some mysterious stranger's invitation, and in that he'd been correct, but he was still not used to so many people in his space. He was both impressed with himself, and feeling as if he had made a mistake.

Another person, walked into his home as he observed all the attendees, and she seemed about as lost as he felt at the moment. Approaching her, he noticed the bags she carried, and was thankful that he now at least had something to say instead of just standing there awkwardly. "Hey! Welcome in, feel free to set those down over there and have some food," Koga greeted her, pointing to the table for the third or fourth time tonight. "I'm Koga," he said offering the woman a hand after she had put away the drinks, "good to meet you."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei watched as liquid poured from the ladle into his cup, filling it nearly to the top once more. "Thank you." he said with a nod towards Oji before taking another sip. The punch overpowered the burn of the sake at this point, but it made for a much easier beverage to drink. After the initial sip, however, he saw Oji offering to refill the sake as well. He thought for a moment before offering the cup, "Just a wee bit." Shifting his fingers so they grabbed the glass around the rim like a claw, he gently twirled the cup to give it a good mix. 

The Irishman chuckled along with Oji as the man laughed, admitting that Jomei was good company. "And you as well, honestly I may look mostly the same as I did when this game started, but I definitely feel older." He taps himself on the side of his head, "Not sure if even I can keep up with the energetic ones sometimes." he nods his head towards some of the more colorful members engaging in bright conversation, or those once bickering at the dessert station. 

"I'm not too familiar with many here either.. some of the names might have passed in conversation, maybe a few faces, but I can't say I'm close with anyone here." taking a sip of his drink, he looks towards Lessa. "Well, mostly everyone." he points with his cup. "Except for her. Lessa and I are.. pretty close, I suppose." Lips curl into a soft smile, lingering for a moment before turning back to Oji. "But thats it really." 

After a moment, Jomei turned to Oji, "If you'll excuse me.. I'm sure I'll circle back around to talk more. Thanks for the drink." He steps from the corner where he was speaking with Oji, taking another longer sip of his mixed drink. The tall man slips between players currently conversing with quick 'Excuse me's and 'Sorry's. Finally he stops beside the familiar blonde, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey Lessa." he says with a smile, "I actually didn't think I'd see you here."

@Oji @Lessa

Edited January 18, 2022 by Jomei

[NIGHT 0]

"I told you. I saw her at the magpies."

NIGHT shuffled back into the room at Koga's re-invitation. At least, from a first glance, nothing appeared to be amiss, like the disruptance from just a few minutes earlier. That meant she was allowed to slink back into the shadows to aid in services for the gathering -- and it seemed, with the arrival of new treats, that she was comfortable breaking from her tasks for the moment. Not that the host was capable of taking a break, however, as he walked up to a familiar face for a handshake.

So be it, she supposed. NIGHT had half the mind to scout the room for Lessa, figuring the blonde might be in need of company if none of her friends appeared to be present. Yet, she was also liken to flit around the various groups, catching hints of discussions behind held. Picking up one of the star-spangled goodies, the player set off on her rounds, quiet as a mouse.

[Jevi 0]

"Jevi" She was caught a bit off guard by Koga's sudden appearance, not realizing he would have made himself known to the newcomer that quickly. She extended a hand out in greeting, taking the man's hand and shaking it. Offering a small smile with pursed lips, she continues. "Thanks for the invite.. even though you sent out a mass invite, I guess."  her golden eyes break eye contact a she traces a finger around her hear, pushing loose strands of hair into place and revealing her undercut that slowly seems to be growing back. 

Jevi wasn't too good at small talk, terrible for that matter. But she would try and not be her normal, bitchy self at least.. she owed that to Koga, the other party goers, and even herself. How else would she make new friends in a room full of strangers. After unpacking the various glass bottles of soda, consisting of cola, orange, and a citrus flavor, she would grab one of the orange flavored drinks for herself. Twisting off the cap, she would stand off to the side and wait and see what the night would bring.

@Koga

[Oji 0]

Oji filled Jomei's drink as he preferred, only a small amount of Sake within the cup, and put the alcohol away once more. He nodded and drank his cup quietly as Jomei agreed that each other was good company. They spoke for a few moments and Jomei motioned towards Lessa, and he looked and saw the young lady he had done a quest with awhile back. He shot her a friendly wave, then turned back to Jomei

"Well now, guess we both have a friend in common then, met Lessa a ways back doing a simple quest. At that Info Broker guy's shop. Very polite the two of 'em." He said with a chuckle. Jomei excused himself and Oji nodded, holding up his cup a bit higher. "Cheers friend, enjoy your time." Oji then started to eye a few snacks at the snack table, making his way over to grab a few bites to eat. Drinking and conversing definitely fills up the appetite.

@Jomei

[Blueberry 0]

Astreya continued to compliment Blue's sweets which was nice but Blue already knew how good they were. Making desserts was all she had done until someone had decided to throw her out into the middle of the field in front of a snake. Then, she almost died for it. Since then, she had randomly been grouping up with some players and healed whoever ended up needing it. Steadily and very slowly, she had been rising in level to keep her higher ups happy. That way she could keep the surprise visits to a minimum. 

Astralin? Was that what she had heard was the blonde's name? She must've been making a mistake as it was very close with the other girl's name. "Carefree Magpie... I think that sounds familiar. My shop is in Taft as well. Though, if this 'friend' is this good at making desserts than I will have to keep getting better at it. I only make desserts so if someone is better, then I nobody will eat what I make and I won't meet people!" A dessert shop served to bring people of similar interests to her. Much easier than hunting the floors for friends. 

"Best Friend? Finally, a  worthy opponent. Our cook-off will be LEGENDARY!" A fist of determination rose into the air as Blue's voice rang out throughout the party. 

"Ooh, level twenty-one? That's pretty close to me!" Blue would exclaim to Astreya. "I still bet you're better than me though... I don't like hurting this so all I can do is heal." Nodding to affirm that to herself, Blue would hush as she waited for more words to suddenly cling onto.

 

@Astralin @Astreya

[Lessa 1]

The cacophony drew mixed emotions. On one hand, Lessa appreciated the cheerful atmosphere, and seeing so many familiar faces in one place. On the other, those same faces all seem occupied. What was one to do when there was nobody to party with? Did Koga have a dog she could play with or something? Dwelling on it, she placed the platter on a tiny island of empty counterspace, and popped a deviled egg in her egg.

Then nearly choked on it when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Jomei, hey," Lessa mumbled around a mouthful of paprika-spiced paste. A hand hovered an inch away from her mouth as she hastily swallowed, then searched wildly for a way to mask the smell. A blast of egg-scented air wasn't her greeting of choice. Spotting a cup of... something... she chugged the sweet red liquid in two desperate gulps. Finally, she turned back to her friend with a small, slightly self-conscious smile. 

"I didn't figure I'd be here, either," she confessed, rubbing her damp palms on her thighs. "I haven't been to one of these things in ages, but Koga's good people, and I wanted to show up for him." Motioning, she added, "Seems like all of Aincrad showed up for him, though, which I think is nice. He deserves to have a good party."

Shifting her attention back to the redhead, she tilted her head slightly. "Are you a big partier, then?"

[Jomei 0]

The Irishman enjoyed the spectacle of catching Lessa off guard. A single, visible brow rose high over an olive eye as she greeted him with a full mouth and frantically looked for something to wash it down with. He was thankful he didn't randomly place his drink down, or Lessa would be the one with a belly full of sake punch and Jomei would be making another trip to Oji's corner for a refill. 

With a small shrug of his shoulders, he spoke "I actually never met Koga until tonight.. saw he sent out a mass invite and figured I would come by. It was that, or spend the holiday alone at home" he offered a pursed lip smile, making light out of a sad possibility. "Actually.. that's a lie. I was planning on reaching out to you, Macradon, and Baldur to see if the three of you wanted to do something.. but figured it wouldn't be polite to spring plans day of.. and on a holiday at that." 

"Hm" he hummed as he pondered on Lessa's question. Was he a partier? He lets out a small laugh before taking a sip of his drink, "I can't say I'm a party animal, but I enjoy a good get together." his gaze turns to the party, taking in how packed it was getting, and that overall, cheery atmosphere. "Especially since I needed to just, get out and not mull things over. Best way to move past everything, you know? What about you, is there a secret party lover lurking in there?" 

He offers his cup forward towards Lessa with a smirk, if she wanted "Its punch, but Oji over there added a bit of 'holiday spirit'. Figured it couldn't hurt to at least feel somewhat like a real life party." 

Olive eyes lit up as he recalled something. "Oh, that reminds me." Bringing his free hand up to the empty space before him, the ginger goes into his menus. After a moment, the screen vanishes as an object, about the size of a text book, materializes into his hands, wrapped in a light green wrapping paper. "I put something together for you." His smile small, but bright, "Merry Christmas."

Spoiler

A natural wood shadow box, about the size of a large book. Framed along the back of the box is an off white piece of sheet music filled out, the title "Lass with the Lion Heart". In front of the music piece, hanging on a small chain from the top of the frame, a recording crystal with a song loaded on it. 

 

[Astreya 0]

Astreya grinned over at her friend as Melodie came over as well to have some.  The girl was very clearly out of her element but that was fine- Astreya was more than social enough for the both of them.  She'd seen Melodie lingering on the outskirts of the party and afraid to engage, whereas Streya had just gone right in to talk to anyone who would listen to her for more than a few minutes.  She was someone that thrived in this sort of environment and it showed as she flit around between a few different conversations so far.  "Mel, this is Blueberry and Astralin!" she spoke, turning to gesture to the other two (even if they might be in conversation with one another).  "Guys, this is Melodie," she continued in the introduction.

Of course, the fact remained that Astreya had done all of one quest with each of these two individuals, and for that matter, both of them had been a little while ago.  She wasn't even sure if the people here recognized her, but Astreya had a really keen eye for faces and other such things, and had wanted to make sure that she greeted everyone that she knew at least a little bit.  Even if they might not recall her, she wouldn't feel right if she didn't at least greet some of these people.

But Blueberry's attention was drawn back to her after a moment at the mention of the level, and the girl grinned slightly, raising both hands almost in a defensive measure.  "Man, like, I don't know about any of that.  I just totally wanna get up to, like, the front lines, so I can help things there.  I don't think I'm, like, very good at this whole thing," she admitted with a small smile.  And it was true- despite the fact that she had managed to get as far as she had, she still wasn't sure she was any good at things.  She wasn't really much of a gamer so a lot of the system and stats and stuff went over her head.

"Oh!" the girl suddenly exclaimed as she was about to take a bite of some other sweet.  She glanced around, her gaze flickering over various people here and there as she compared faces to the one who had greeted her at the door, before she finally zeroed in on Koga, who was helping someone else to find where they needed to go to drop off the food.  "Like, I'll be right back.  I totally didn't even say hi to the guy hosting the party," she spoke hurriedly, giving a small wave off to Melodie and (much as her friend had feared) ditched her with a bunch of random strangers.

Not out of any malice, of course, but simply the fact that Astreya was used to just bouncing around and talking to many different people at these sorts of functions.  She noted the other individual Koga was talking to and gave the other woman a smile, before she turned her full attention back to Koga (once he was in a position to be greeted and not talking to anyone else).  She beamed the smile onto him as well.  "So like, I'm so totally sorry for not introducing myself before and all that.  This is just, like, the first party I've been to in the game and I was super excited.  That was like, really bad manners on my end, sorry," the girl continued.

"But anyway, I'm Astreya!  It's so nice to meet you!  Koga, right?" she asked, giving him a broad grin.  "This is like, so totally cool that you're throwing a party!"

@Melodie le Breton @Blueberry @Astralin @Koga

[Koga 0]

After having greeted the newest partygoer to his home, Koga ventured over to the snacks table and helped himself to one of the sodas she had brought. Root beer flavored. A classic. Content to sit back and watch, man found a spot next near the backdoor and propped himself against it, gently sipping at the sweet, bubbly beverage as he observed those present. From the corner of his eye, he spotted NIGHT sneakily slink off to do...whatever it was that NIGHT usually did...honestly, that woman was a complete and total mystery to Koga. Luckily, most everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Music, courtesy of Jomei (he'd have to thank the man later for covering his ass on that slight oversight), food from all over...well, now it was all blueberry but whatever, and merry little chatter to boot. Merry Christmas indeed.

A dark haired girl then invaded Koga's small sanctuary of solitude, her voice happy, bubbly. Bright. A stark contrast from her raven colored hair. 'Oh God...' Koga thought to himself as he put on his best customer service grin (mercifully convincing to all except those closest to him) as she greeted him with that oh so distinctive lexicon he though he'd left behind in high school. 'A valley girl...' Heavens help the poor little introvert.

"That's right, pleased to meet you," Koga said in a voice that was perhaps a little stiff as he quickly felt every single muscle in his body begin to tense in discomfort. Despite that, he offered a relaxed hand for the girl to shake. "Don't worry about it too much, it was an open invite after all. Wasn't really expecting to be able to say 'hello' to everyone."

'Or for this many people to even show up.'

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked, defaulting to the tried and true strategy of asking questions and allowing another to fill the air with their chatter. "I figured everyone could use a little merriment. Christmas spirit and all that."

@Astreya

Edited January 26, 2022 by Koga

[Astralin 0]

Astreya explained how she was uncertain where she really stood in terms of her build, but intended to become a tank on the front lines, but test the waters there first, just to see if what she was going for truly suited her.

At least, that's what Astralin was able to get from the Valley Girl's words.

Astreya proceeded to state her current level, but she asked about going beyond the top level. "Yeah, I've heard about levels that go beyond the cap. Paragon Levels, so they're called. They only seem to bring about changes to your stats within certain milestones of Paragon level" Astralin responded. "...Buuuut I haven't been able to confirm this, mainly because I don't have any paragon levels to my name just yet...but at the rate things are going, I'll be getting some soon!" She continued, her arms shaking up and down somewhat as she did. She was really starting to get excited about reaching the level cap, which was basically the midpoint between her and the strongest players in the game.

Astreya, after hearing what Astralin said to the pink haired baker, tried one of the sweets that Astralin brought and gave her approval, asking Astralin to tell Vigilon that he'd just helped his friend out. This friend of his may have made more than just sweets at his place, but it seemed that if his desserts got enough attention here, players might just start spontaneously heading over there just for his desserts...well, at least he'll be getting business, right? "Will do." Astralin noted with a smile.

The pink haired baker seemed to recognize the name of the place she mentioned. She ended up speaking out her reason for her current thought process, which turned out to be a competitive stance, a preparation, if not a declaration, of rivalry. Astralin kept a smile on her face, but it was a bit forced this time. She just wanted to be nice, she encouraged both sides, and this girl was...sort of, kinda...not taking it in the best way. Well...to each their own?

Astreya was humble in her response to the pink haired player in regards to the level and stat conversation. Apparently the baker wasn't a damage dealer. "That's not a problem though," Astralin reassured, looking at the baker thoughtfully. "Countless people specialize in damage, myself included even though I also dabble in supportive arts, but supporters and tanks are crucial in a well balanced party. With a support focused build, I'm sure you'll find plenty of allies who'll appreciate what you do!"

Astreya introduced a player named Melodie to Astralin and the Baker, who's username seemed to be Blueberry. "Hi." Astralin said calmly with a smile, for the girl appeared to be on the reserved side. Astreya realized that she hadn't introduced herself to the host, so she left to do just that, leaving the brunette with a blonde and a pinkette that she'd only just been introduced to.

This must have been awkward for the brunette, but Astralin wanted to try making it less awkward. "So, how have you been?" She asked softly. If Melodie was too shy to answer, Astralin wouldn't mind.

@Astreya @Blueberry @Melodie le Breton

 

[Astreya 0]

The girl, despite her rather peppy (and preppy) countenance had a keen eye for conversation on all fronts.  Her father had been strict when she was younger, teaching her many thing that were above her, despite her mother's protests.  Of course, the girl had been exposed to such things early and had adapted, learning such things as several maneuvers in chess and a few other things which put her on a slightly different level than most of her peers... but she still struggled with things like mathematics and other more standard school subjects.  She'd learned how to read that body language, and what she had learned she had struggled to apply there in SAO...at least until everyone's guise was ripped away.

So when Koga tensed up slightly at her oppressive assault of verbosity...she realized that maybe she was coming on a little bit strong.  

She took his hand, giving him a steady grip as she shook it, a small grin playing over her features.  "Well sure, but as a guest, it's, like, totally my obligation to say hey to you!" she responded, not really pushing the cheery talk too much, especially picking up that he was having some reservations about her energy.  Of course, Astreya was also fairly used to that- lots of the people here in this game were relatively reserved- she supposed that came with being a gamer... and also why she didn't really fit into that mold.

"I soam," she gushed in agreement, bouncing a little in place.  "There's a lot of people, like, fighting up on the front lines and I'm trying to get up there too," she explained, gesturing with her hands as she talked.  "But like, I spend a lot of time just kind of handling things on my own, y'know?  So I don't always get to talk with people.  I'm really glad you did this- there's all sorts of people to talk to!" she cheered, beaming a genuine smile toward the man.  

"What about you?  You don't, like, seem the party animal type," she spoke, tilting her head to one side.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

"Ah, a fellow solo player," Koga said, finding at least some common ground with the oppressively optimistic girl. "You know my struggle then," he added with a small chuckle. The life of a solo player was difficult. There were some things that simply could not be done alone in the game. The climb became difficult without others to assist, or carry you through the tougher battles, and the risk of death sky rocketed. But conversely, one needn't fear losing those they cared about.

"Yeah, I'm not really much for parties," Koga said with another chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "My sister has been complaining that I don't socialize enough, so I agreed kinda last minute to throw a Christmas party just to shut her up." Aki was almost Koga's complete opposite. Outgoing, talented, and frankly, very good at pestering her older brother. "She had promised to show up but, I haven't seen her. Traitor..."

[NIGHT 0]

To say she hadn't picked up on the emo, loner, 'don't wanna be here' vibes would be a lie, to say the least.

For starters, though NIGHT had only just begun observing the party from the sidelines, she'd already noticed Koga approached by said lady with the undercut (an already distinct feature of any other within the player's periphery), who greeted him with a half-hearted thanks. The shift of her pupils from the host to elsewhere only revealed hesitancy and thoughts elsewhere -- a shuffle afterwards further spoke of her desire not to get caught up in the crowd. Different from the others; the older adults reminiscing in the room, and the youth of the present mingling with vivacity unknown.

She would know. There was someone else she unwillingly kept tabs upon that marked all the difference. And even between the freshest face in the room -- nervous, timid and out of her comfort zone -- as compared to the wallflower NIGHT was concerned with, there was an obvious difference in the two women's disposition.

At least Melodie was around friends.

Jevi, was it? She seemed familiar, though NIGHT was struggling to put a reason to that face and her name. Perhaps after a talk, she would be further enlightened; aside from appearances, that voice seemed awfully telling...

The player did her best not to sneak to the other's side. She really did, carrying a plate of cookies from the table as she strode over to the taller where she thought she may have been in view. But if Jevi hadn't been paying attention, too busy lost in second-guesses, perhaps NIGHT's pip of a "Hey," would've come as a surprise. The woman offered the desserts to the stranger, posture laidback and intentions bare. "Refreshments?"

A hand was half-stuffed into her suit's pocket, and she wondered if the other would recall quicker than she did. She didn't bet on that, however. "Not everybody comes to a party looking sour. It's about Christmas -- so what's with the long face?"

@Jevi

[Astreya 0]

"Totally!" the girl responded in response to the 'struggle' of being a solo player.  It was true- there were many quests that she had seen, and attempted before realizing she was in way over her head and had to leave the scene.  Some of them she kept jotted down for future attempts, but so far things were at a slow pace for her.  "It's not like, all bad, but it's still a little lonesome sometimes.  There's totally a sense of peace you can get when you're just like, looking out over a horizon and see nothing but the landscape for miles though.  Or virtual miles, whatever, y'know?" she spoke, glancing toward the man.  "I like hanging out with people to do stuff, but I'm in that, like, weird in-between.  I'm not really, like, strong enough to be up on the front lines, but I'm too high of a level to hang with the new players," she spoke, shrugging slightly.

At the mention of his sister though, the girl couldn't help but to beam a smile at him.  "Awww, that's nice of you to do for her!  Well, to do for yourself I guess?" she spoke, giving a small tilt to her head in thought.  "But I hope she shows up!  I'd love to meet her too!" she spoke, before she paused, glancing at the party host, bouncing slightly in place as the thought occurred to her.

"So like, are you all up in the front lines too?  Is there an easy way to get there?  I know this guy named Freyd who fights on the front, and this other guy I met too...Raidou!" she spoke after a moment, snapping her fingers.  "I told them I'd like, let 'em know when I get ready to join, but is there a way to make sure I'm ready?" she asked, curious.

She didn't get much chance to talk to the higher leveled people, and she didn't like to bug the two mentioned- she figured they were probably off doing something crazy.  But since Koga was here...why not ask?

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga let out a light chuckle at Astreya's mention of 'virtual' miles. Mile was a mile was a mile. Or more likely, kilometer, since this was a Japanese-made game, but the point was the same. "Eh, you'll get there eventually," Koga reassured the girl. "Floors aren't getting unlocked faster than you can level up, I can promise you that much. How many years in and we're still only on what...Floor 25? 26? You'll have your shot."

At the mention of his sister coming though, Koga clicked his tongue before taking a sip of his drink. "I dunno, if she ain't here by now, I doubt she'll show. She's not much more a people kinda person than I am," he said, crossing his arms.

The girl then asked if he was on the Frontlines himself and Koga nodded in response. "Or at least I will be," he clarified. "I'm planning on showing up at the next floor raid. I've hit the level cap and then some at this point, so really anything after this is just kinda diminishing returns." Any experience he would gain now would only grant him a fifth of what it would otherwise have. At least the game was kind enough to give them some kind of progression past the prescribed cap.

Koga thought for a moment about a way to properly answer Astreya's question. In the end, he just shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know that there's any easy way. You just kinda gotta keep plugging away until you get there. I just kinda looked at my stats one day and went, 'Well, if I can fight on the highest floor at this point, I can probably help out with the boss too.' The fact that NIGHT hasn't tried to dissuade me yet probably means I'm good to go. She's somewhere around her if you wanna ask her more. She's been on the Front for a while now I think."

[Astreya 0]

"Yeah, I guess that's like, true," the girl murmured.  She hadn't realized exactly where they were in terms of progression, but the way that he spoke it made her heart sink a little.  It had been about two years and they were only a quarter of the way through the one hundred floors?  That was crazy to think about, in the fact that they'd, at their current pace, be stuck here for another six years before getting out.  That didn't factor in that some of the higher floors might be more difficult, too.  There was a slight wilting in her form at that as the woman tried to rationalize it all.  "Man that's kinda like, depressing," she admitted with a small laugh.

At the mention of his sister not showing, she gave a small nod toward him.  That was a shame- although if she was as reclusive as Koga was, even if Astreya attacked her with greetings and words, it might not turn out well either.  She supposed she'd just have to keep playing social butterfly here.  But as he mentioned going into the Front Lines, her mouth opened a little bit in surprise, her eyes widening as she looked on at him.  "This is going to be your first one?  Like, omigosh!  Are you scared?  Excited?  I don't know what I'd do with myself, like, whenever I get there.  Man I like, feel all nervous even just thinking about it," she admitted with a laugh.

The advice that had been given was some that Astreya did take to heart- just keeping moving forward and getting somewhere was all she could really do.  "Ugh, that's so nebulous," the girl spoke, shaking her head slightly, despite the small grin that she wore.  "That's one of those, like, 'you'll know when you're ready' proverbs," she murmured.  "But I guess that's like, understandable.  I'm not there yet but I'm trying!  I'll get there soon!"

She did pause, glancing around for NIGHT as he saw the indicated direction that the woman who'd taken Koga away to speak in private a little while ago, and Astreya nodded.  "She looks like she's talking with that other girl, so like, I won't interrupt til she's free.  But it was fun talking to you!" she continued, looking to Koga.  "Maybe I'll see you on the Front Lines for the raid after this one!" she cheered, grinning widely.

[Jevi 0]

A part of her regretted coming to this party; an introvert in a house full of strangers. Honestly, she wondered how some people could find this entertaining. Golden eyes closed for a moment as she thought her position here over, what was she really going to gain by coming up the the 11th Floor to the house of someone she had never met until just a few seconds ago. 

Jevi needed to remind herself, time and time again since taking her first step away from her forge on the 5th floor. Her mentality would only get worse if she just continued to stay in that covered hole she called a home in the desert. With no one around anymore to call a friend, no one to rely on, the only thing to keep her company as she sat in the silence of a cold blacksmith's workshop were her negative thoughts. 

She came here to break out of that shell again, to find some positivity in her life, to chat.. to maybe make new friends. As her eyes reopened, she scanned the room once more, as if hunting for the perfect partner for conversation. Finally, her gaze fell upon a shorter woman as they fetched a tray of cookies from the sweets table and made their way in Jevi's direction. Was this going to be easier than she thought? Or was her gloomy disposition making her stick out like a sore thumb?

With a simple greeting and an offering of a cookie, Jevi's eyes went from the girl to the refreshments in question. "Uh, sure. Thank you." the corner of her lips curled into a small smile as she grabbed one of the cookies with a thumb and forefinger, and bringing it to her mouth to take a bite. A bite that she nearly choked on when the girl called her out on her attitude. A small clearing of her throat and sip of her beverage, the brunette couldn't stifle a small laugh, "Heh, I must look pretty miserable then if you were able to catch it from the other side of the room." 

With a rise and fall of her shoulders, the woman shrugs and motions with a finger to the party around them. "I'm usually not one to do all of.. this. I keep to myself pretty often, which I've been finding is rather unhealthy. So I guess I'm just slowly trying to better myself." She looks at the cookie, "I'm also usually not open to talking about my shit, what the hell did you put in this cookie?" she jokes. "I'm Jevi, by the way...Have we met before?"